Chapter 16

Before going to bed, Little Qi Wu was still curious about the elder she had met today. She asked drowsily, “Judge Dad, is the Emperor a very powerful Ghost and God?”

Su Wen nodded, “He is the creator god of The Underworld.”

Qi Wu nodded sleepily, “Where did he go before?”

Su Wen paused for a moment, choosing a way that the Little King of Hell could understand, “He was protecting The Underworld within the Netherworld Gate.”

Little Qi Wu’s voice grew softer, “That’s really impressive…”

Gradually, Little Qi Wu fell silent. Su Wen tucked her in and was about to leave the room.

After taking a few steps, Little Qi Wu seemed to wake up again, her eyes barely open, “Judge Dad, aren’t you going to sleep today either?”

Su Wen replied, “We don’t need to sleep.”

Little Qi Wu clutched the blanket, “But Mengmeng’s Dad and Driver Uncle both said that adults need to sleep, even great Ghosts and Gods do.”

“Dad isn’t working now, Dad will sleep.”

Even if Su Wen had a hundred guts, he couldn’t sleep next to the King of Hell, so he said, “I will sleep, don’t worry, my lord.”

Only then did Little Qi Wu fall asleep peacefully.

After Su Wen stepped outside, he walked to the statue of the King of Hell and lit another incense stick. Di Ting stood beside him, “Judge, you lied to the King of Hell. You haven’t slept much since coming to the Human Realm.”

Su Wen simply placed the incense stick without speaking.

Having spent a thousand years outside the Netherworld Gate, his Ghostly Demonic Aura was heavy. He hadn’t slept much in those thousand years. Although being with the Little King of Hell had somewhat alleviated it, he was here on a mission and couldn’t afford to sleep.

How could he bridge the gap between the Human Realm and The Underworld?

The ancient practices of burning paper and money were no longer effective. Now, the Human Realm had more intangible things, making it even harder.

Di Ting, used to not getting answers, thought to itself: This Ghost and God is really strange. He offers incense to the Emperor, to the King of Hell, and sometimes even to Meng Po and the City God, but never to himself.

Even though his own offerings are even fewer.

The next day, the live broadcast started as usual.

Su Wen carried Little Qi Wu down the mountain. When they reached the park entrance, they saw a crowd of people standing outside the supposedly abandoned park gate. Wang Yang explained, “They are some local viewers who found out the address from yesterday’s live stream and came over. However, the production team has already asked them not to disturb the order.”

Su Wen said, “Thank you.”

The audience became excited when they saw Little Qi Wu and Su Wen appear, “Qi Wu, Qi Wu!!”

“Wuwu, my baby!”

[Damn, they beat me to it.]

[I won’t say who’s jealous.]

Little Qi Wu didn’t expect so many people to know her. She was puzzled, “Dad, are these people calling me?”

“Yes, Qi Wu should greet everyone.”

So Little Qi Wu obediently turned around with her milk bottle and looked at the audience, “Hello, everyone.”

“Ah, I’m going to die,” one of the girls, holding a pile of milk—various types of pure milk and sweet milk—handed them all to Qi Wu, “Baby, this is the milk sister brought for you to drink.”

Little Qi Wu looked at her, her beautiful eyes blinking a few times before her gaze settled on the girl for a few seconds, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

“Qi Wu?”

Little Qi Wu shook her milk bottle and said softly, “But Qi Wu already has milk.”

“Never too much, never too much. Aren’t you always hungry?” the little girl said. “Sister will definitely feed you until you’re plump and fair!”

Little Qi Wu smiled gently, “Qi Wu can drink her fill now, all bought by Dad!”

She remembered the manners her teacher had taught her and added, “Thank you, sister.”

【What an easily contented baby.】

【And so well-mannered too, not easily tempted by other things, so obedient.】

Seeing that she wouldn’t accept it, the little girl turned to Su Wen for help, anxiously saying, “Mr. Su, this milk is absolutely safe. We just like children and wanted to feed her a bit, nothing else.”

Wang Yang timely reminded, “Small gifts like these, if Mr. Su wants to accept them for Qi Wu, it’s perfectly fine.”

Su Wen hadn’t seen this milk before, but he could sense that the audience in front of him meant no harm. He asked Qi Wu, “Qi Wu, do you want to accept it?”

“It’s everyone’s goodwill.”

Qi Wu wouldn’t take things from others without reason, but upon hearing it was goodwill, she understood a bit. She thought for a moment and extended her small hand, “Okay.”

But her hand was too small to hold so much. The little girl was about to suggest that Mr. Su help carry it when she heard Little Qi Wu say, “Dad, can you put Qi Wu down?”

Su Wen set her on the ground. Little Qi Wu took two steps forward, and the surrounding audience also lowered their heads. The little girl holding the bag of milk squatted down, “Sister will let your dad keep it for you, okay?”

Little Qi Wu shook her head.

【Still saying she’s not tempted, now she wants to hold it all herself.】

【Why is Su Wen so indulgent with the child? Shouldn’t he stop her? At least check it first.】

As the comments buzzed, Little Qi Wu didn’t reach for the bag. Instead, she stepped forward and said, “Can Qi Wu hug sister?”

The little girl was stunned, then nodded in delight, “Of course, of course!”

She put down the bag and hugged the little one in her arms.

【Ahhh, jealousy is making me disintegrate, I want a hug too!】

【My baby, how could you let another sister hug you, wuwuwu.】

Little Qi Wu gently hugged the little girl, her small hand patting her back in a proper manner before letting go. Then she turned to look at the large bag of milk, patting it with her small hand, “This is sister’s gift to Qi Wu.”

“Yes, does Qi Wu want to drink it now?”

Little Qi Wu shook her head, then opened the bag and took out a box of milk, handing it to the sister, “Sister, drink.”

The little girl was taken aback, “But this is for you.”

“Qi Wu has already received it,” Little Qi Wu said earnestly. “Now this is Qi Wu’s gift to sister.”

In the Human Realm, many people would eat the offerings they made to the gods, considering it a blessing from the gods. For Little Qi Wu, it was the same.

Little Qi Wu smiled at her and said, “Sister will be healthy after drinking it.”

The little girl was both touched and amused, “…”

Who’s feeding whom here?

She looked somewhat awkwardly at Su Wen beside her, but Su Wen understood Qi Wu’s intention—this was her blessing to this person.

So he stepped forward, “You can take the rest to your family.”

The little girl was puzzled, “What?”

“Qi Wu is the temple keeper of the Temple of the King of Hell. You can take these as offerings and share them with your family.”

Little Qi Wu nodded her small head: “Yes!”

[This is the most novel way of rejection I’ve ever seen, hahaha.]

[This father and daughter duo are really something, are they really going to stick to this mystical identity all the way?]

The young girl was even more taken aback, not knowing what to say.

If you say she wasn’t fed, they did accept it, but if you say she was fed, they didn’t drink it.

Seeing that they would be late for kindergarten if they didn’t leave soon, Su Wen reminded: “Qi Wu, we’re going to be late.”

Being late! Being late is not what good children do!

Little Qi Wu immediately became alert: “Goodbye, sister, Qi Wu has to go to kindergarten to study.”

The young girl also realized she had been rejected and was somewhat disappointed: “Goodbye.”

Seeing that the young girl was not very happy, Little Qi Wu comforted her: “Sister, don’t be unhappy. After you drink the milk, your body will get better.”

The young girl’s eyes widened slightly. Little Qi Wu had said this twice. The first time she didn’t think much of it, but now it sounded a bit off.

She asked uncertainly: “What does Qi Wu mean? Is sister’s body not well?”

“Mm.” Little Qi Wu tilted her head, “Isn’t that why sister came to the Temple of the King of Hell to make offerings?”

The young girl shook her head anxiously: “I’m not…”

Wait, the point should be, how did Little Qi Wu know that her body was not well?

But Little Qi Wu continued in her childish voice: “Sister, don’t be afraid.”

After saying that, she tugged at Judge Dad’s hand: “Dad, let’s go.”

Su Wen didn’t stop Little Yan Wang from saying these things. In the Human Realm, many people pray to gods and Buddhas for certain things. If they are sincere and encounter a True God, they will be blessed. This was exactly the situation now.

He picked up Little Qi Wu: “Goodbye.”

The car had been waiting for a while, so as soon as they got in, it quickly drove away.

The remaining people looked at the dazed young girl, thinking she was still upset: “Don’t think too much, this is normal, go back.”

“No.” The young girl shook her head and said softly, “I am indeed sick, for several months now, and there’s been no improvement.”

For the past few months, she had been feeling weak, had trouble sleeping, often had nightmares, and even fainted at work. But when she went to the hospital, the doctor just said she was too tired and needed more rest. After taking leave and resting at home for a long time, there was still no improvement.

It was because of this that she started watching live streams. When she heard Little Qi Wu speak, she felt much more relaxed, and when she heard her sing, she almost fell asleep.

She genuinely liked Little Qi Wu, which is why she came.

The people around her showed expressions of disbelief: “Is it just a coincidence?”

Whether it was a coincidence or not, the young girl didn’t know, but the feeling Little Qi Wu gave her wouldn’t change. When Little Qi Wu held her, she really felt relaxed.

She looked at the milk in her hand: “I don’t know.”

Then she smiled as if relieved: “Since it’s given by the little temple keeper of the Temple of the King of Hell, it’s worth drinking. Come on, everyone, have a share.”

“Hey, you can take it back for your family.”

The young girl was stunned for a moment, then smiled gently: “There’s not many in my family, and I can’t finish it alone.”

But the box that Little Yan Wang personally handed to her, she held tightly all the way.

At this moment, the live stream chat was already buzzing with discussions.

【I put on my 800-degree reading glasses and still couldn’t see anything wrong with this young lady. How did Qi Wu notice it?】

【Who said she noticed anything? Maybe she just said it casually, and the girl does have dark circles under her eyes.】

【Didn’t you see how the little girl was stunned? What if she’s right…】

While the comments were still debating, a few messages stood out, and someone even posted a picture in the discussion section of the live stream.

【I’m back, I’m back! Seeing Zai Zai in person is even cuter!】

【Zai Zai was right. We were there at the scene, and the girl said she had indeed been sick for several months.】

【Wow, I want to go offer incense too. Is it really that divine?】

【Quick, drink that milk and see if your health improves (dog head). Trusting ghosts and gods instead of doctors?】

Little Qi Wu had already arrived at the kindergarten by now. Today was another day to say goodbye to Judge Dad.

The kindergarten teacher smiled and said, “Little Qi Wu is very brave today, not afraid at all.”

Little Qi Wu thought about when she first arrived in the Human Realm. She had been scared back then. As usual, she turned around, and Judge Dad was still standing there, watching her. Every time she needed him, he was always there.

So she had to learn not to be afraid too.

She ran over and hugged Judge Dad. “Dad’s here, so I’m not afraid.”

Su Wen looked down. “Yes, Dad will always be here.”

At that moment, a voice called out, “Mr. Su.”

Little Qi Wu and Su Wen turned around simultaneously. Liangliang’s mother was walking over, holding Liangliang’s hand.

The teacher asked in surprise, “Liangliang has recovered so quickly? Can he attend school today?”

“Yes,” Liangliang’s mother replied with a smile. “The doctor said there’s no problem now. He just needs to eat more at home.”

“That’s good, that’s good,” the teacher said with a laugh. “Welcome back, Liangliang.”

Liangliang politely said, “Thank you, teacher.”

Liangliang’s mother walked up to Su Wen and Little Qi Wu, then took out a red envelope from her bag. “Mr. Su, thank you and Qi Wu. Without you, Liangliang and I might not have known what to do. This is a small token of our gratitude. Please accept it.”

【Huh? Did these two do something we don’t know about besides praying?】

【Liangliang’s mother has Su Wen’s contact information. Did they communicate privately?】

【Doing good deeds without seeking recognition.】

Su Wen didn’t take the envelope. “There’s no need.”

“It’s not much,” Liangliang’s mother said. “We don’t have much money. This is just enough to buy some milk for Qi Wu.”

Little Qi Wu noticed that many people wanted to give her milk today, but she was already full and had food to eat.

She looked up and said, “Qi Wu has lots and lots of milk already.”

Liangliang’s mother couldn’t help but laugh. “But Auntie wants to thank you and your dad.”

“You’re welcome.”

Liangliang’s mother turned to her son. “Why aren’t you saying anything to your little friend? You should thank Qi Wu.”

Liangliang looked confused. “Qi Wu?”

But he didn’t remember having such a friend.

“Why are you acting so silly?” Liangliang’s mother said. “Didn’t you give her my phone number? I told you about it when you woke up.”

Liangliang shook his head. “I didn’t give her the number.”

【？？？】

【What’s going on? How did Qi Wu make that phone call?】

【Now that you mention it, it is a bit strange. Qi Wu just came to the kindergarten, how could she know Liangliang? Even if they knew each other before, how could her mom not know? And now Liangliang doesn’t even recognize her.】

Little Qi Wu didn’t expect Liangliang to not recognize her after waking up, and she was also confused.

But Su Wen calmly said, “Children have poor memories.”

Liangliang looked up at this handsome uncle, then at this pretty little girl, as if he caught a glimpse of something familiar: “Mom, I think I’ve seen her in a dream.”

【This sister, I’ve seen her before, I get it.】

“It wasn’t a dream,” Little Qi Wu said, “You really have seen me.”

Liangliang, afraid he might have forgotten, scratched his head: “Oh, okay, but now I remember, you’re cute.”

Little Qi Wu was pleased to hear this: “Thank you, you’re cute too.”

Liangliang’s mom still wanted to give the red envelope to Su Wen, but Su Wen said, “We don’t accept money.”

Liangliang’s mom was stunned for a moment, then remembered that Mr. Su had mentioned when she went to the Temple of the King of Hell that she could go and offer incense.

She immediately said, “Then I’ll go to the temple to offer incense another day.”

Su Wen: “Alright.”

【Every time someone mentions offering incense, this father and daughter are quicker to agree than anyone else.】

【Got it, next time don’t bring milk, just go and offer incense directly.】

【In this world, there are actually people who don’t love money? I don’t believe it, aren’t they in need of money?】

【Even if they’re in need, they don’t take just any money. Liangliang’s mom is already struggling enough.】

Children tend to get familiar quickly, and now Little Qi Wu and Liangliang were about to enter the kindergarten together.

At that moment, a van stopped outside the kindergarten, and soon a man wearing sunglasses got out. The man had an excellent physique and was dressed in a well-tailored suit. After getting out, he quickly opened the back door, and a woman holding a child stepped out.

【Holy crap? Isn’t that Zhu Qing? Why is a celebrity family here?】

【Ahhh, my sister Zhu Qing is so beautiful! Even after retiring, she’s still so gorgeous.】

【Actor Zhang is as pretentious as ever, hahaha, is he walking the red carpet or what?】

【But why don’t Su Wen and Little Qi Wu seem to care? Isn’t that a bit rude?】

The newcomers were indeed the other group of family guests, but Su Wen and Little Qi Wu didn’t know that. These two had initially come for the appearance fee and were unaware of the show’s unspoken rules and procedures. They also didn’t have the habit of going online, so they had no idea who the other guests were.

So when these three arrived, Su Wen was still intently watching his Zai Zai’s back, and Little Qi Wu’s focus was also entirely on her companion.

The three glamorous figures behind them were completely ignored.

Finally, Zhang Yuan spoke up: “Mr. Su, Little Qi Wu.”

Why are so many people calling me today?

Little Qi Wu turned around and saw a pair of large, pitch-black eyes without pupils. What… kind of ghost is this?

Then those eyes were removed, and Little Qi Wu instinctively covered Liangliang’s eyes: “Don’t look!”

Zhang Yuan, who was taking off his sunglasses: “?”

Liangliang also got nervous: “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

Little Qi Wu remembered her dad saying that humans are afraid of ghosts, so she instinctively acted that way. But she didn’t expect this person to have eyes beneath their black eyes. She looked puzzled at the pair of “black eyes” that had been taken off: “Huh? Aren’t those eyes?”

Zhang Yuan couldn’t help but hand the sunglasses to her: “These are sunglasses. Haven’t you seen them before, Little Qi Wu?”

Little Qi Wu shook her head, even more confused.

From the looks of it, this person wasn’t a ghost, but why did he have such a heavy ghostly aura?

Su Wen obviously noticed it too. He had somehow already walked over to Little Qi Wu’s side and slightly raised his eyes: “You are?”

Zhang Yuan’s smile faltered, but he quickly recovered: “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Zhang Yuan, this is my wife Zhu Qing, and our son Zhang Siqing. We’re the other family from the show’s production team.”

Su Wen glanced over the three of them and nodded: “Qi Wu, Su Wen.”

“I know about you,” Zhang Yuan said. “You’ve been trending a lot since you appeared on the show. Little Qi Wu is also very well-behaved. My son is just about to start kindergarten, so we thought we’d come and take a look, and also let him make friends with Little Qi Wu.”

“Right, Si Qing?”

Little Si Qing, who had been quietly in his mother’s arms, nodded upon hearing his father’s words: “Hello, my name is Zhang Siqing.”

Little Qi Wu loved playing with other kids. She looked up at Little Si Qing, about to speak, but then noticed a small figure—no, a little ghost—sitting on his shoulder, which was also the spot with the strongest ghostly aura.

Her eyes widened slightly.

But it was clear that no one else around could see it, and her dad had said not to talk about ghosts in public.

Little Qi Wu thought for a moment and asked: “Do you want to come down and play with us?”

Zhang Yuan: “Of course. Honey, put Si Qing down.”

After Zhang Siqing was set down, Little Qi Wu moved closer to him. Worried that the little ghost might harm the child, she gently patted his shoulder: “My name is Qi Wu.”

The little ghost let out a scream and disappeared, but the ghostly aura around Zhang Siqing was still very strong. Little Qi Wu asked worriedly: “Are you feeling unwell?”

Zhang Siqing looked at her somewhat blankly, nodding and then shaking his head: “I don’t know.”

[How can he not even know if he’s feeling unwell?]

[What did Little Qi Wu notice this time? I’m so curious.]

[Hey, have you noticed that Goddess Zhu Qing has been very quiet? She hasn’t said a word at all.]

【Came over from the neighboring livestream, indeed, watching the show these past few days, the goddess seems even more aloof.】

【Sorry, I’m a sucker for looks, I only care that Zhang Yuan standing next to Su Wen actually… seems a bit ordinary.】

【Whispering: I feel the same, Su Wen is just too striking.】

【No bashing, our Zhang Yuan is all about talent, okay?】

【Came from next door, this father and daughter are just too good-looking.】

【Kind of don’t want to leave now, haha.】

The livestream merged audiences from two streams, with everyone visiting each other’s spaces, creating a lively atmosphere, but the on-site vibe was unexpectedly chilly.

【Honestly, Su Wen really doesn’t seem to be good at socializing, still wearing that expression in such a setting.】

【No, I think his face has been quite cold ever since he saw Actor Zhang.】

【What’s going on, are you guys about to start a fight?】

【Let’s keep it harmonious and not argue, look how well the kids are getting along.】

The kids, urged by the teacher, finally went in reluctantly. Little Qi Wu looked back with some concern, using the Mystic Seal to ask, “Judge Dad, Zhang Siqing has a heavy ghostly aura, can Qi Wu say something?”

Su Wen shook his head almost imperceptibly: “Adults can’t say, but adults can accompany him more.”

“Okay then.” Little Qi Wu immediately took on the mission, sticking closely to Zhang Siqing, “If you feel unwell, you can tell Qi Wu.”

Zhang Siqing replied softly, “Okay.”

After the kids went in, Zhang Yuan finally looked at Su Wen: “Mr. Su, what do you do for work? If you have time, maybe we can have a meal and chat about parenting.”

Su Wen, withdrawing his gaze from the Little King of Hell, said indifferently, “I do odd jobs at the Temple of the King of Hell.”

Zhang Yuan: “…”

How to continue this conversation.

“That’s quite a novel profession,” Zhang Yuan said, “What do you usually do?”

Su Wen said leisurely, “Add incense and candles, guard the King of Hell.”

“…Impressive, seems like you have great respect for this line of work,” Zhang Yuan laughed, “Heading back now? I often watch some supernatural stuff, why not go offer some incense together, Mr. Su, could you pass a message to the King of Hell for me?”

Su Wen adjusted his sleeves, his long fingers twirling around the cuffs: “Not now.”

“Why?”

Su Wen: “Wait until you bring your son.”

At this, Zhu Qing, who had been silent, suddenly looked up, staring intently at Su Wen.

Su Wen acted as if he didn’t notice: “I’ll take my leave first.”

With that, he turned and left, not caring about the expressions of the two behind him.

Once Su Wen got into the car, he patted his clothes with some distaste, trying to disperse the ghostly aura on him. Being around the Little King of Hell, he seemed to have gotten used to this.

Not long after, the phone rang.

It wasn’t from the show’s team. He looked down for a few seconds before answering.

“Hello? Is this Mr. Su Wen? We’re from the National Special Events Handling Department.”

Su Wen furrowed his brows: “What department?”

There was a pause on the other end, as they had already learned that this person seemed to be a reclusive expert, working at the Temple of the King of Hell, so they adopted a term he might understand: “You could also call it, the King of Hell’s Secretariat, the Netherworld’s Human Affairs Office.”

Su Wen: “?”